


Welcome to 1985

by darkness (flower_child)



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra, Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-01-20
Updated: 2015-04-26
Packaged: 2018-03-08 07:46:33
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 10,113
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3201164
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/flower_child/pseuds/darkness
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Asami runs into Korra in a Starbucks after her building in Chicago is blocked by an HIV/AIDS awareness rally, started by Korra. Welcome to 1985, baby.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Rally

“You’re kidding me.” Asami sighed as she turned the corner and started walking down Michigan Avenue. There it was, a massive crowd of people blocking the street. Even from two blocks away, she could see their picket signs and hear their rallying voices. She shook her head and glanced at her watch: 12:45. _Fuck._ She was presenting her new train infrastructure model at a meeting at one, and she should already be back at the office.

“Now don’t get me wrong,” Asami narrated to herself, “I’m all for a good protest. Social change. But _come on._ Really? Today?”

Several heads turned, hearing her mumblings. Asami rolled her eyes and trudged on.

As she approached the rally, Asami could hear their voices if she listened closely.

“Give them a voice!” They shouted.

“Only mercy serves justice!”

“Stop the silence!”

Asami squinted. What were they protesting? She considered herself very up-to-date on current events, but whatever they were rallying about was beyond her.

As she got within half a block of the rally, Asami realized that she wouldn’t be able to go around or through the mass of people; they were literally building to building on either side of the street. She stopped for a moment to consider her options, checking her watch. 12:53. It would take her five minutes to get from where she was to her building even if there was no crowd in the way. She groaned and looked around. The Starbucks she frequented caught her eye.

Well, she thought, if I’m gonna blow off the meeting, I might as well go all out.

There must have been sixty people jammed into that little building. Asami rolled her eyes, shouldered her way through the mob, and got in line behind some mom with her seventy five children.

While waiting, she pulled her new cell phone out of her purse to call her business partner (or so he thought they were). They were basically the biggest engineers within a hundred miles, so Asami guessed that companies just wanted to give them things to advertise, like new age cell phones.

 “Hey, there’s a huge rally on Michigan, I won’t be able to get to the meeting. I’m really, really sorry,” she said, plugging her ear with one hand and holding the huge telephone with her other.

“Yeah,” he responded. “I saw the makings of it on my way this morning. Whole city of Chicago’s there, looks like.”

‘Morning?’ Who did Varrick think he was kidding? He got to work at noon every day. Three hours later than the rest of them.

Asami tapped her foot. She was next in line, but the lady in front of her had a list. Did she have more kids than the ones she brought with?? Jesus.

Reluctantly, Asami said, “Present without me.”

She hated not being there to present her ideas. In fact, it never happened. Plus, she’d been working with the new train company, Metra, for months. They were planning on buying the current company out in about two years.

_“Are you crazy?!”_

Asami sighed, irritated. “Do it. This needs to happen. Do _you_ want constant complaints about the state of the Museum Campus station for the next six months?”

There was no response for a moment. “I didn’t think so,” Asami said.

Evidently, Little Bobby was too afraid to order himself, but kept changing his mind. Mommy had to keep relaying the changing messages.

Asami thought she might kill them all.

Finally, it was her turn to order. After shouting her order and clarifying, “A-s-a-m-i! No, not salami,” she pushed her way over to the pickup counter to wait.

At that moment, a girl about her age stumbled into the door, carrying a picket sign over her shoulder. She must’ve been at the rally.

Trying not to think about how astonishingly gorgeous the girl was, Asami walked over to her, ignoring grumblings from the rest of the shop.

“Hey,” she hailed the girl, whose shoulder-length brown hair swung lightly as she turned to face Asami.

“Uh, hi?”

Asami grinned slightly. The other girl’s cheeks had reddened. “I saw your picket sign, and I’ve been wondering what the protest was for.”

Her eyes lit up and she began talking animatedly. “Well, I’m sure you’ve heard about the recent HIV outbreak.”

Asami nodded, and the girl continued talking. “Well, a couple friends and I decided that it would be a good idea to let the city know we’re not ignoring people and we’re on their side.”

“Well, that’s a pretty good way to do it.” Asami stuck out her hand. “I’m Asami.”

“Korra.” The girl shook her hand vigorously, grinning.

Asami’s eyes widened marginally. She wasn’t ready for the electrical shock she’d received when they touched. “So, Korra, you’re at a political protest, and you’re like, ‘I know, Starbucks,’” she said, mostly just to diffuse the tension.

Korra shrugged and rubbed at her arms. “It’s cold as fuck, man. Winter in the city is a beast.”

“Tell me about it.” Asami looked around, wondering where her order was.

“I just moved here,” Korra began. “I lived in Wisconsin, so it’s still pretty cold, ya know?”

Asami nodded. “I’ve lived here my whole life.”

From the pickup counter, she heard, “As—Asam—“

Asami shook her head and made her way over. “That’s me.”

She turned around and found, to her surprise, Korra. “Whatcha got?”

Asami raised an eyebrow. “Caramel latte.” She looked at Korra’s blue eyes for a moment, and an image of her planting her lips on Korra’s rushed into her head. Startled, but not altogether disturbed, Asami said, “Let me buy you coffee.”

“I thought you’d never ask.” Korra punched Asami in the arm lightly.

The after-lunch rush had diffused slightly, so there were fewer people in line. As they were walking over to the line, Asami got a look at Korra’s sign. It read, ‘GAY RIGHTS ARE HUMAN RIGHTS.’

“You’re allowed to write ‘gay’ on signs now?” Asami sipped some of her coffee.

“Welcome to 1985, grandma,” Korra said, twirling the sign and looking Asami up and down.

Asami’s brow furrowed. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m perfectly fine with gays and stuff—”

Korra stepped closer to her. Too close. “I know you are.”

Asami felt her cheeks redden and there was nothing she could do about it. She tried to look away from those piercing blue eyes, but something in them made her feel like it would be treachery to break it.

The cashier cleared her throat. “Can I take your order,” she said, bored.

Korra coughed feebly. “Yeah, I’ll have a cappuccino.”

Asami giggled, handing over three dollars to the cashier, who eyed the sign still clutched in Korra’s hands.

Korra looked at Asami with a mutinous look, but it was broken as soon as Asami grinned. “Let’s go find somewhere to sit.”

While they waited for Korra’s drink, sitting across from each other at a small table, Korra tried to make small talk.

“So, uh, how old are you?” she asked.

“Twenty three,” Asami said, looking straight at Korra.

“Twenty two,” Korra responded.

The eye contact was intense, and Asami was sure she was blushing, but neither of them broke it. Slowly, Korra’s hand started inching across the table towards Asami’s.

“Korra!” The barista called out.

Jerked from the moment, Korra wrenched her hand off the table, and Asami scratched her ear, not meeting her eyes. Korra jumped up to get her coffee, and when she returned, her ears were pink.

“How, ah, long is the protest going for?” Asami asked as Korra sat down, warming her hands on the cup.

Korra took a gulp of coffee. “It’s not really a protest, you know. It’s just raising awareness. It should be going until 3, but it’s damn cold so we might call it off before then.”

Asami nodded. “You know, the only reason I’m here is because your mob was blocking my building,” she chuckled.

“Really?” Korra’s eyes widened. “Dude, I’m really sorry.”

Asami smiled. “It’s fine! I didn’t have to give a presentation, so it’s okay. I made my partner do it.”

Korra raised an eyebrow. “Partner?”

Asami squinted for a moment, then realized what she must be thinking. “My business partner. Varrick.”

“Ohh, I’ve gotcha. For a second there…”

Asami placed her hand on Korra’s, which was warm from the coffee cup. “Understandable.”

“People will think we’re participating in some sort of shenanigans,” Korra whispered.

Asami grinned as she seized the picket sign from its post leaning against the table and raised it to cover the table vertically. She stood in her chair and leaned across the table, planting a kiss on Korra’s lips. The latter was so surprised she didn’t react for a moment, but soon placed her hands on the sides of Asami’s face.

A moment later, the spell was broken, and Asami lowered the sign. Several frightened customers stared in their general direction, but the two just sipped their coffee in unison, smiling and blushing in equal measure.

Welcome to 1985, grandma.


	2. The Museum

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Asami and Korra plan their first date, and it's to the Museum of Science and Industry. Buckle your seatbelts and get ready for some science and industry.

“Okay, here’s one,” Korra laughed. “What do you get when you cross a chicken with a ghost?”

“What?” Asami thought her stomach might burst from laughter.

“A poultry-geist!”

Asami hit the table with her head, grinning, then looked up to find Korra staring at her.

“You’re adorable,” she said, color in her cheeks.

“You’re adorable-er,” Asami grinned. She glanced at her watch: 1:45. Her face fell. “I should probably, you know, go to my job.”

“If you insist,” Korra said, still smiling, as Asami reached into her bag for a pen.

Asami reached forward and pulled Korra’s wrist toward her gently, keeping her fingers as light as possible. Brushing the skin with her other fingers, she wrote her landline number on Korra’s palm. As she stood up, Asami placed a kiss on Korra’s forehead before holding her pinky and thumb up to her ear and mouthing, “Call me.”

 

As Asami walked the rest of the way to her building on cloud nine. The crowd had dispersed slightly around the edges, so she was able to skirt past them and into the office.

“What’re you so smiley about? I just had to endure a meeting with Metra about their infrastructure _without you_ ,” Varrick lectured her. “In case you’ve forgotten, you designed this crap! I don’t know what a fucking train is!”

Despite her colleague’s immense anger, Asami couldn’t stop grinning foolishly. She’d just met _a girl._ “I’ll set up a conference call for tomorrow.”

Varrick scrutinized her from across the desk. “It’s like you just had sex. But Asami Sato is, like, Davy Jones’ Locker from the neck down so there must be somethi—”

Asami seized Varrick’s shoulders, a blazing look in her eyes. _“I met someone.”_

Varrick awkwardly removed her arms, looking like he thought Asami should seek medical attention. “I meet people every day, Ms. Sato. They populate this doomed planet we call home.”

Asami rolled her eyes. “You’re a pain in my ass, you know that?”

Varrick raised an eyebrow seductively. “If you insist, dear partner.”

Threateningly, Asami began, “I will tell Metra that I am unavailable to continue with the contract and will have my _highly accomplished_ business partner take over the project.” She leaned against the wall, half amused, half still over the moon, and another percentage of feeling after 100% was occurring south of her belly button…but Varrick was right about that. Asami Sato was locked tighter than a nun’s knees. Until now.

“What’s his name,” Varrick resigned.

“Korra.”

“Foreign, eh?”

“What the hell do you call ‘Varrick’?”

“Fun loving and freeeee.” Varrick did a twirl around his office, almost knocking a globe off the bookcase.

Running to steady it, Asami asked, “What happened at the meeting?”

“Well,” Varrick plopped down in his spinny chair behind his desk, “we bemoaned your absence for quite a while, then I presented the plans. We are talking about _aboveground_ , right? Cause I was lookin’ at those plans thinking, ‘Well, I mean, if you turn it _this_ way, it could be underground’—”

Asami put her hand to her face. “Yes, Varrick. It’s the _El._ What did you think that meant?!”

Varrick shrugged. “El Nino?”

“I may actually just kill you.”

 

Korra sat at her small kitchen table by the phone, staring at the numbers in her hand. She had memorized them in the five hours since Asami had written them there, but she just had to be sure they were there every time she looked down.

_Asami._ It was like someone personified beauty and intelligence and confidence. Korra leaned her head against the wall, grinning like an idiot. She couldn’t stop thinking about that kiss…

What would she say when she called her?

Korra didn’t need plans. She picked up the phone and dialed the number. As it rang, Korra twirled the cord around her finger.

It rang once.

Three times.

_You’ve reached Asami Sato; please leave your name and a message after the tone._

Korra frowned and checked the clock. It _was_ nearly 7pm. Maybe Asami was out with her friends? She didn’t seem like the type of girl to get cold feet…

“Hi, Asami,” she began steadily. “It’s Korra. I was wondering if you wanted to do something over the weekend. A _date_ , if you will. Sooooo, call me back?”

Korra leaned back against the cool wall, slapping her forehead with her hand. Should she not have left a message?

She shook her head lightly; she knew very well that worrying accomplished nothing. Korra also knew exactly how far the telephone set reached from its plug, and it was right to the corner of the couch. There it rested as Korra switched on the TV. She groaned; just the news was on. She watched for a few minutes just for something to do.

_Brrrring_!

Korra jumped: Asami? She reached for the phone—then drew her hand back. Must not look like she was waiting by the phone. Halfway through the third ring, Korra answered. “Helloo?”

“Korra! It’s Asami.”

“Hey! How are you?”

“I’m pretty good. Sorry I missed your call, I was in the shower.”

Trying to shove images of Asami in the shower from her mind, Korra responded, “Oh, you’re fine. Sooo, it is Thursday, and the weekend is only two short days away.”

“Are you suggesting something?”

“I just might be.”

“Let me know when you figure it out, cause I’ve got a rather long line of swooning ladies outside my door,” Asami joked.

Korra giggled. “I’ve made up my mind. Museum of Science and Industry on Saturday?”

“I _love_ that place!”

“I thought you might,” Korra grinned.

“I’ll pick you up at 2,” Asami said, and Korra could hear the smile in her voice.

“Great. So how was the rest of your day?”

“Astonishingly dull after I left the coffee shop,” Asami bemoaned. “I had to entertain Varrick _all afternoon.”_

“Varrick?”

“My business partner. It’s a long story, not very interesting…” she trailed off.

Leaning back on the sofa, Korra said, “I have aallllll night.”

They talked for at least an hour and a half, about this and that and work and school. Korra found Asami incredibly easy to talk to; it was like they’d known each other for a lifetime.

“I should get to bed,” they both said at the same time after a particularly lengthy discussion of childhood pets.

Giggling, Korra said, “Goodnight!” at the same time as Asami said, “Sweet dreams.”

There was silence on the line for a moment.

“Aren’t you gonna hang up?” Asami said.

“I will not sink so low as to hang up the phone.”

“Well, you’re gonna have to, because I’m not going to.”

“Neither am I.”

“C’mon, hang up. I’m tired.”

“You _could_ just hang up the phone, you know.”

“I’d rather you do it.”

“Well…since you’ve asked soooooo nicely…”

“What else will you give me if I ask nicely?” Asami said daringly.

Korra’s cheeks grew hot, but she felt the corners of her mouth twitching. “You’ll just have to wait and see.”

And she hung up the phone.

 

Asami sat on the cool counter in her kitchen, mouth slightly open, hand still on the receiver. Slowly, she lowered it to hang up, beginning to grin.

Something was for sure, and it was that she could not wait for Saturday. A strangely intense, warm feeling seemed to explode in the center of her abdomen, and it spread with a radius of about a foot. She wanted to kiss Korra, _now_. She wanted to do something…else…but she didn’t know what it was or how it would work.

She made a mental note: learn how to have sex.

 

Asami stared at her reflection: cuffed jeans, brightly colored sweater, with a few pins pulling back her unruly hair. Of all days, why did it choose today to never lie flat?

She nodded at the girl looking back at her, slipped on her jacket, and left her house.

Climbing into the car, Asami pulled a folded piece of paper with Korra’s address as she’d dictated it last night on the phone. She wasn’t too far, but still a good twenty minutes from the museum. As she started down the street, Asami noticed her hands were shaking. Denying this, she hit the radio button to her right, grinning as Bruce Springsteen started blaring. She turned it up and started singing along to calm her nerves.

“ _Born in the USA, I was_ —hey, watch it!” Asami slammed on the horn as a car cut her off.

She raised her middle finger out the window. _They’re gonna get out and shoot me_ , she thought ruefully.

Stuck again in traffic, Asami drummed her fingers against the steering wheel and glanced at the clock: 1:55. Why did everything in the city take longer than you wanted it to?

 

Korra skipped to the door of her apartment after hearing the buzz that told her Asami was downstairs. She took the stairs three at a time (one becomes quite adept at scaling the stairs in one’s building).

Once in the lobby, Asami waved, smiling, and Korra wrapped her in a hug.

“You ready to go?”

Asami felt Korra nod against her shoulder. They walked side by side to Asami’s car, in mutual agreement that they could not hold hands.

“Bruce,” Korra said, nodding, as Asami switched the radio on. “I approve.”

“They were playing Bruce earlier, too,” Asami mused. “Weird. Buckle up, cause we’re gonna go look at some _science.”_

Korra laughed, clicking her seatbelt into place.

“So,” Asami began after they’d gotten onto the road, “tell me how you got into protests and rallies?”

“Well, I told you I studied international relations and politics in college, and we learned some of that kind of thing in the process.” Korra looked out the window, then back at Asami, chuckling slightly.

“What?”

“I just went to a lot of protests in college.”

“How do you know so much about HIV?”

Korra looked away from Asami again. “A friend of mine had it,” she said quietly.

“I’m so sorry,” Asami said gently, reaching her hand across the seat to grasp Korra’s.

They were silent for a few minutes until Korra said, “You know, the last time I was here was for a 10th grade field trip.”

_“Seriously?”_ Asami said, turning quickly to show Korra her incredulous expression. “My dad used to take me all the time.”

“My parents weren’t too big on science when I was growing up,” Korra told her. “Not super-duper bad, but not really museum goers. But _you,_ the big-shot engineer!”

Asami grinned. “Yeah, my dad was definitely…encouraging.”

Korra reached out and placed a fallen strand of hair behind Asami’s ear, brushing the skin along her cheekbone. Asami could feel every place where she’d touched charged with some sort of inexplicable energy.

 

“Here we are!” Asami pulled into a parking garage, unlocking the doors.

They walked, hands in pockets against the bitter wind, up the stairs to the museum proper.

“I read somewhere that they’re gonna start charging admission in a few years,” Asami said loudly over the rustle of the trees.

“What?! That’s crazy,” Korra responded. “Charging admission for science…and they call themselves progressive.”

Asami grinned. Korra’s passion for the progressive and equal was almost contagious, and it made Asami like her all the more. It was like electricity ran through her, motivating her to stand up for what she believed in.

 

“Let’s go see the big heart,” Korra said, grabbing Asami’s arm and pulling her upstairs once they’d entered the museum and checked their coats.

“Slow down, cowboy.” Asami ran to keep up. “We have the whole museum to see.”

“Shh, you’re ruining my plan.”

Plan?

It being a Saturday, the museum was packed. As could be expected, the heart was a main attraction, and they had to wait to get in.

“Why were you here in 10th grade?” Asami asked, mostly to give herself a reason to look at Korra.

To her surprise, when she did, Korra was already staring at her.

“Choir, I think,” she responded, boring those bright blue eyes into every part of Asami. “We sang here or something, I can’t really remember.”

Asami didn’t reply, but they maintained eye contact. Asami started grinning, then whispered in Korra’s ear, “I want to kiss you.”

“I want to kiss you too.” Korra looked around, and spotted a hallway that led off to the bathrooms. “Come on.”

They hopped out of line and started towards the maintenance closet between the bathrooms where nobody ever went. Asami’s stomach was jittery with anticipation.

Checking to make sure nobody was watching, Korra pulled Asami into the closet with her, closing the door behind them. It was completely dark, but that didn’t stop Korra from pressing Asami against the door with her hips and upper body. Their lips met, Asami opening her mouth to be able to kiss her more deeply. She skimmed her fingers down Korra’s sides, and in response, the latter grinded her hips against Asami’s. Korra’s hands were in Asami’s hair, messing up the perfect knot she’d put it in, but neither of them cared.

Korra began planting swift kisses, then pulling back slightly, but Asami seized the back of her neck and drew her in deeply, slowly, and together they found a rhythm, their bodies’ movements synchronized. Asami felt Korra’s hands on her waist, trailing down her hips and drawing her even closer. Asami could feel the pressure of her breasts against Korra’s, so she slid her hands up Korra’s waist and began feeling her way around. Korra shuddered in response, sending electricity to Asami’s groin. Korra grinded her hips against Asami’s body, and the latter drew breath in quickly. The sensation was like nothing she’d experienced, but she loved it. Her first fix and she was already addicted.

“That sure was something,” Asami breathed after a few more minutes. Her heart was racing like she’d just run a mile, and some sort of euphoric energy was flowing through her veins.

“I take it you’d never made out with a girl before?” They were standing with their arms around each other’s hips, contemplating how they would exit the maintenance room.

Asami giggled. “No, but I’d do it again.”

“That, I can promise.”

They stood for a moment, forehead to forehead, then Asami said, “What was that plan you were talking about?”

Korra sighed, then began, “I was going to ask you something in the big heart, but there’s such a long line…”

“What were you going to ask me?”

Their eyes had adjusted to the dark, so Asami could see Korra’s eyes flick to meet hers. “I wanted to ask you to be my girlfriend,” Korra whispered.

“Yes,” Asami said without hesitation. “Of course.”

Korra’s face broke into a wide smile, meeting her lips with Asami’s one more time.


	3. The Letter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Asami and Korra gain an audience with the governor of Illinois to discuss HIV/AIDS awareness, education, and treatment, but is everything as it seems?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a bit more intense than the previous ones, but I hope you like it!

“Oh, shit…” Korra looked down at her half-finished letter to the governor. She just realized she’d been daydreaming, and “ _Asami”_ was doodled in curly letters in the margins in pen.

Korra rolled her eyes, leaning her chair onto its back legs. She crumpled up the paper and threw it across the room; it hadn’t been very good anyway. She pulled another piece of paper from her stationery set and sighed, ready to start again.

She put the pen to the paper to address it— _brrrrrrring!_

“Fuck!” Korra slammed her hand on the table at the unexpected noise and “Governor Thompson” turned into a jagged line across the paper.

_Brrrrrrring!_

She reached for the phone, perching herself precariously on the edge of the chair so as not to have to get up.

“Korra Imiq speaking.”

“Korra!”

“Asami!” Korra grinned.

“I have big news, I’m coming over now.” Asami sounded very excited.

Slightly shocked, Korra said, “Okay, see you soon!”

She hung up the phone, then let out a yell as she tipped her chair too far back and almost fell.

About twenty minutes later, after Korra had tidied up her apartment considerably, she heard the buzz that meant Asami was here. And a few more seconds later, a light but sharp knock came from her door.

As Korra opened the door, the two locked eyes and pulled each other into a tight embrace, Asami kicking the door shut behind her.

“I’ve missed you,” Korra said quietly, feeling Asami’s arms wrapped tightly around her body.

“It’s been, like, two days,” Asami responded, but Korra could hear the smile in her voice.

They broke apart after a moment, and Korra could feel the rising color in her cheeks from the contact. “So,” she said, trying to diffuse the heat in her face and neck, “what’s your big news?”

Grinning broadly, Asami reached in her briefcase and pulled out a sheet of paper, brandishing it in Korra’s face. “I got an audience with the governor!”

Korra’s jaw dropped. “Holy shit, Asami!”

“Yeah, I remembered you had said some stuff about wanting to see him about ideas you had for HIV/AIDS awareness and education and testing, so I wanted to make that happen.”

“’Sami, that was weeks ago, I can’t believe you remembered.” Korra was stunned.

Asami took her hands, saying, “It just seemed so important to you…I had to do something.”

Korra pulled Asami towards her, locking their lips together. Asami led Korra the several feet to an armchair by the TV, and pushed her onto it, straddling her legs. Korra moved her hands to slide them down Asami’s back, bringing them to her waist with some pressure to draw her closer, closer—

Asami flinched noticeably as Korra’s fingers caressed her side.

Korra broke away, worried. “’Sami? What’s wrong?”

Asami shook her head. “Nothing.”

She tried to divert Korra’s attention by pressing their lips together again, but Korra just looked at her. “What’s going on?”

Asami’s eyes were unnecessarily harsh. “I said nothing,” she said quietly.

Korra nodded, thoughts flying through her mind. What was happening? Had Asami gotten hurt? “Let me take a look,” she said, lifting the short hem of Asami’s shirt to see her side.

Asami wrenched the hem back down around her waistline, but not before Korra could see a dark bruise right above her hipbone.

Korra sat up straight. “Asami,” she said seriously, “what happened?”

Asami didn’t look at Korra, but her jaw was set. “I hit my hip on the edge of my table in the kitchen.”

Korra nodded, eyebrows furrowed. She thought about the table in Asami’s kitchen. It came up to several inches below her crotch, and Asami was a few inches taller. However, she knew she wouldn’t get any more information out of her, so she let it go, resolved to find out the truth.

“What were you doing before I came?” Asami asked, sitting on the chair next to Korra and allowing her to lean against her.

Playing with her fingers, Korra said, “I was actually writing a letter to the governor.” She grinned in spite of the situation. “I’m so excited, Asami. We can finally give them a voice.”

“Us, you mean,” Asami smiled sadly.

“Us.” As Korra turned her head to look at Asami, and as she did so, she felt Asami tense under her weight.

“I need to use the bathroom,” Asami said quickly, and Korra moved over to allow her to stand.

Korra watched her walk away down the short hall to the bathroom, her long hair swinging behind her.

A second later, her attention was drawn to Asami’s briefcase and a piece of paper sticking out from the top. Korra swiftly swept over and pulled the paper out. It read,

_Ms. Sato,_

_I would be delighted to receive your audience. Your business in the city is quite reputable, and I believe your views to be on track with something we are all working towards: a cure for the Human Immunodeficiency Virus._

_I admit I was surprised to hear your correspondence—I have received a great amount of support from your father against the homosexuals in the city._

_I am, however, glad to see that we are on the same page on wanting to eradicate this disease._

_It will be good to see you again, Ms. Sato._

_Regards,_

_Governor Thompson_

Korra stood rooted to the spot, stunned. Parts of the letter were running through her head.

_It will be good to see you again._ Did Asami have personal connections with the governor?

_I have received support from your father against homosexuals…_ What on earth did that—

“Korra, what are you doing?” Asami had reappeared, and there was a look of panic in her face.

“Your father is actively fighting against homosexuals?” Korra shoved the paper into Asami’s line of sight.

“It isn’t what it looks like—” Asami began, stepping forward towards Korra.

Korra laughed, but the situation held no humor. “Please, explain!”

Asami spluttered, apparently unable to get words out.

“And how many times have you ‘corresponded’ with the governor?” Korra shot at her. “Is this just what you do? Throw your money at people to get them to do what you want?”

“My father—” Asami began. “He—I had to do something…he had a really awful plan…”

Korra shut her eyes for a moment. “Your dad was going to make the governor pass some sort of legislation. This has nothing to do with me at all. It’s just money with you people.”

Asami stepped even closer to Korra, who could see tears glistening in her eyes. “It isn’t! I want you to have everything you want, and it just happened to line up—”

“Save it.” Korra said harshly, not backing away from Asami.

“My father…”

Korra looked into her eyes finally putting two and two together. “He hit you, didn’t he?”

“What?” Asami looked alarmed. “No, he—”

“He did.” Korra drew even closer, her voice softening. “My God, he did…you said something, and he…hit you.”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about!”

Korra didn’t raise her voice. “Show me. I can help.”

Asami backed away, and Korra could see fear and sadness etched across the beautiful face.

“He found out about you,” Asami said softly. “He was going to do…something horrible…”

“’Sami…” Korra walked towards her, but Asami backed up further. She wasn’t watching where she was going, so she hit the counter with her lower back, flinching violently.

“Asami!” Korra couldn’t stand to see her like this. She flew towards her, wrapping her fingers lightly around Asami’s shoulders. “He can’t do this…”

“You don’t understand.” Asami looked away. “He has the most money in the whole state, maybe even the country. He can do whatever he wants.”

“But we’re meeting with the governor! We can stop this.”

Asami laughed quietly, mirthlessly. “Nothing we do can stop him. Not even see the governor. It’s all just a show, don’t you see?”

Korra looked into the bright green eyes that were brimming with tears. “It’s going to be okay.”

“No, it isn’t!” Asami said, and tears threatened to spill over. “He told me…if I keep seeing you…he’d tell the governor I’m gay, and no one would ever respect me or my company again.”

“Why did you come back?”

“Because I love you,” Asami said desperately. “I couldn’t stand the thought of never seeing you again.”

“But your company, everything you’ve worked for.” Korra clutched at Asami’s arms even tighter, her insides twisting and turning at the words Asami had just spoken.

“My father never has to know.”

“I can’t do that, Asami, I can’t live in secret—”

Asami threw her hands into the air. “We already live in secret, Korra! Gays are unnatural sinners, haven’t you heard? We can’t walk down the goddamned street without getting catcalled, and if we held hands we would probably get shot! Our _lives_ are _illegal!_ ”

The truth of Asami’s words ripped through Korra like a bullet, fired from hate and ignorance. “Then what are we doing?” Korra’s voice was half desperation, half anger and extreme sadness, not at Asami, but the world they lived in.

Tears finally fell from those beautiful green eyes as Asami finally wrapped her arms around Korra, and they clung to each other. “I don’t know, Korra,” Asami whispered.

“I do,” Korra said after a moment. “I…I love you, too, Asami.”

Korra didn’t know how long they stood there, hugging like their lives depended on it, ruminating on the injustices of the world.


	4. Your Eyes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Asami and Korra have a night of Truth or Dare for Valentine's Day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! The goal was to have this up on Valentine's day but, as you can see, that didn't really happen. Oops. This chapter's a lot lighter and nicer than the last, so I hope you like it :)

“We should play Truth or Dare.”

Asami was lying on Korra’s sofa, with her head in Korra’s lap, their hands intertwined along Asami’s collarbone.

Asami looked up to meet Korra’s eyes. “Really?”

Korra grinned. “Why not? It’s Valentine’s Day, and we’ve just been watching movies.”

“You know why we can’t go out, Korra,” Asami said quietly. It wasn’t that she was ashamed of Korra; by God, she would love to parade her down the street with a sign reading, ‘THIS IS ASAMI SATO’S GIRLFRIEND.’ But they both knew that couldn’t happen.

They were silent for a second.

“Let’s play,” Asami grinned. “Why not?”

Korra leaned over, planting an upside-down kiss on Asami’s smiling lips, but pulled away quickly, a look of fire in her eyes. “You’ll have to earn it,” she said.

“Challenge accepted.” Asami sat up so that she and Korra were facing each other on the couch. “You go first.”

Korra nodded. “Okay…truth or dare, Asami Sato?”

Asami thought about it for a moment. “Truth.”

“Boooooring,” Korra said, but she still smiled. “What is…your favorite color?”

“You couldn’t think of _anything_ better?”

Korra shrugged. “Do you know _my_ favorite color?”

“Fair point.” Asami thought for a second. “Blue. What’s yours?”

“Green,” Korra said immediately, then turned slightly pink. “Your turn,” she said hurriedly.

“Truth or dare?” Asami asked slowly, looking at her girlfriend with a little concern.

“Dare,” Korra responded.

“Hmm…I dare you to give me a piggy back ride around the house.”

Korra grinned widely and hopped up off the sofa, standing in front of Asami’s perch. Asami cautiously climbed up onto Korra’s back, wrapping her legs around her waist and her arms around Korra’s neck. As soon as she’d secured herself, Korra ran off around the living room at top speed. Asami screamed with laughter as Korra sped through the kitchen and around the table. She admired the feeling of Korra’s strong arms around her legs. After a quick circuit of the bedroom, Korra ran back into the living room and dropped Asami back onto the couch, both breathless from laughter.

“Truth…or dare?” Korra giggled, looking up at Korra in delight.

Grinning, Asami said, “Truth.”

Korra considered for a moment, then said, “How far have you gone?”

“Well, when I was ten, my dad and I went to Florida, I’d say that was pretty—”

Korra leaned forward, laughing. “You know what I mean, dork.”

Asami bit her lip, smiling. “Okaaay. Hmm it’s gotta be with you.”

She was disregarding the fact that they hadn’t done more than make out, with various articles of clothing removed, but no real pants action.

Korra looked astonished. “You’ve had boyfriends though, right?”

“One question per round, chica.” Asami held up a finger. “Truth or dare.”

“Dare.”

Asami thought for a moment. God, there were so many things she wanted Korra to do to her. “Take off whichever article of clothing you please.”

Korra raised an eyebrow.

“I know, I’m really bad at this, don’t judge me.” Asami covered her face with her hands, but when she lowered them, Korra had taken off her shirt to reveal a lacy pushup bra that squeezed her boobs so tantalizingly…

Asami glanced hungrily from Korra’s face to her chest as Korra said quietly, “Truth or dare.”

“Dare.”

“Kiss me.”

“Shouldn’t a dare be something you aren’t _dying_ to do already?” Asami said as she inched forward on the sofa towards Korra.

“Fine. I dare you to not kiss me.”

“Now _that’s_ hard.” Asami sighed and reached a hand out to stroke Korra’s collarbone. Her finger travelled down to play with the lacy bra strap. She wanted it off. “Truth or dare?”

“Truth,” Korra growled. She knew how much this was torturing Asami and it turned her on even more.

“How far have _you_ gone?”

“That’s no fair, you can’t just turn my questions around on me.”

“Answer. It’s a sealed contract, my friend,” Asami said.

“With a guy? Or a girl?”

“In general.”

“Depends on how you define…”

“Just answer the question, chica.”

“Okaaay,” Korra shrugged. “The whole shebang. Truth or dare?”

“Dare.” Asami tried not to be put off from the fact that she wouldn’t be Korra’s first time, despite the fact that she had literally no idea what to do. So, she put it from her mind. Besides, who cares if somebody’s had sex before?

A small voice in the back of her head said, ‘HIV, Asami…’ but she shoved that, too, away. She’d worry about it later.

“Kiss me,” Korra commanded quietly.

Asami obeyed. She moved forward on her hands, Korra leaning backwards so that Asami was on top of her. Korra’s hands were already under the hem of Asami’s V-neck shirt, her fingers stroking their way along her sides. Asami straddled Korra’s waist, her tight jeans begging to come off. Korra slid her fingers down Asami’s side, and the latter moaned softly against her mouth in response. The feel of their lips together was a drug.

“How’s this for Valentine’s Day?” Korra breathed.

“I know how to make it better.” Asami pulled down the strap of Korra’s bra with her teeth, kissing the sensitive skin of her chest and arm.

Korra lifted Asami’s shirt over her head, throwing it off the side of the sofa and drinking in her girlfriend’s body. “You’re wearing too many clothes,” she hissed.

Asami slid her hands along Korra’s clenched stomach, tracing the heavily defined abs as she felt fingers dancing across her bra’s clasp. Finally, Korra broke it free, and Asami’s breasts spilled out.

Korra moaned before flipping Asami onto her back with her strong arms so that Korra was now on top. She kissed down Asami’s collarbone, sure that she would leave marks. It turned her on even more in an almost animalistic way: she was marking her territory.

She made her way down Asami’s chest, caressing her sides with her fingers. Korra kissed every inch of Asami’s breasts, as the latter ran her hands swiftly, like feathers down Korra’s body. Asami arched her back, moaning at Korra’s touch, then brought her fingers around to the front hem of Korra’s pants and started working at the button and zipper.

Korra’s eyes flicked up to meet Asami’s, a grin spreading across her lips. Korra nodded, Asami nodded back, and she proceeded. Under Korra’s jeans, Asami found lacy underwear and began touching lightly around the wet fabric. A gasp from Korra told her she’d found her clit as she applied pressure to the sensitive area.  After a moment, her fingers travelled a few inches away and started stroking her vagina.

_“God_ ,”Korra moaned, kissing Asami’s mouth again. The feeling of Asami’s fingers so intimately caressing her skin was indescribable, and she just wanted more, more, more…

 

“Truth or dare?”

Korra opened her eyes, squinting at the light of the TV in the otherwise pitch darkness of her living room. “What?”

She was laying naked from the waist up, her jeans still unzipped with her arms wrapped around Asami’s waist. In moving her legs, she felt something hot and sticky rubbing between her thighs. She remembered what had happened and grinned.

“Truth or dare, I said,” Asami repeated. “We never finished.”

“ _I_ finished,” Korra said sleepily, rubbing at her eyes.

Asami giggled, remembering the feeling of Korra’s skin against her fingers.

“Truth,” she said.

“Why’s your favorite color green?” Asami asked.

Korra didn’t hesitate before answering, “It’s the color of your eyes.”


	5. The Governor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Korra and Asami prepare for the meeting with the governor of Illinois...but is everything as it seems?

_Brrrring! Brrrrring!_

“Helllooo?” Korra answered.

“Korra—”

“Asami! How’s it—”

Asami’s voice was intense, on the verge of panicked. “Korra, you need to listen to me.”

“What’s going on?”

“My dad just called me. The court date is set for the bill he’s trying to pass.”

Korra’s eyes widened. She almost couldn’t stop thinking about the bill Hiroshi Sato was forcing the governor to pass by throwing money at him. Since that first, awful fight, she’d learned more about the bill. It would be horrible: gays would be allowed to be denied medical care legally, as well as denied entry to all public places, and prevented from getting jobs or apartments. It would condone homophobic violence and make all rallying illegal. None of it could possibly be constitutional, but when you had the kind of money Hiroshi Sato had…

“It’ll be fine, we have plenty of time. Courts take forever, and…” she trailed off.

“Korra, it’s next week.”

Korra stood up, knocking her chair back. _“What?_ But the docket—”

“Doesn’t matter,” Asami finished. “Listen, we need to get to the governor before my father does.”

“Asami, that could be literally weeks.”

“That’s the thing. I got an audience with him tomorrow.”

 _”Tomorrow?_ Asami, that’s amazing, I love you so much.” Korra smiled broadly, despite the weight that had just been placed on her and Asami’s shoulders.

“I love you too.” Korra could hear the blush in Asami’s voice as she said, “Korra, he’s on our side. He wants to decrease the stigma surrounding HIV. I mean, he’s about as on our side as he can be. But we’ll take it.”

“Well, we need to get to work,” Korra said, already at her bookshelf, looking at books they could use to prove their case. “You’ve got lawyer stuff, I have history and things. You should come over here. If we need to, we can walk over to the library.”

“I’ll be over in forty five minutes.”

“Okay…” Korra paused.

“What?”

“I just—nevermind.”

“You what?”

“I just love you. A lot. Way more than I should.” Korra’s voice was soft, unusually.

Asami was quiet for a moment. “I love you more than a bird loves the sky.”

“I’ll see you soon,” Korra whispered.

 

“I’ve highlighted the parts we can put into the document. We just need to make this watertight so he can convince the senate—remember, he’s already on our side.”

Korra nodded as she read over a yellow stripe across a line about constitutionality. “I found some statistics that can help us.”

It had already been three hours, and Korra and Asami were exhausted. Korra looked out the window: the sun was going down. Her stomach turned. “We’re ready, right?”

“Of course we are. We know this stuff. And you’re the most passionate person I’ve ever met.”

“Really?”

“Of course, really. You literally have passion for _everything._ And I think that’s admirable.” Asami leaned back against the sofa and surveyed the mess of papers and books laid out over the floor. Looking straight at her girlfriend, she said, “You know, people get complacent. We forget why we’re doing what we’re doing, and we lose drive. But I see your drive in your eyes every day, and it’s incredible.”

Korra’s cheeks were flushed, and there was a smile on her face. She stood up and pulled Asami to her feet, just a second before she pulled her into a tight embrace. “What do you think the city would do without you? Without your hard work and your incredible mind? It makes the rest of us look like duntzes, Asami Sato. There’s no way we aren’t convincing the governor.”

Asami’s fingers were light as air as they trailed down Korra’s tight-fitting t-shirt, and goosebumps ran up her spine. “Never leave me,” Asami whispered.

“Never,” Korra repeated. She turned her head from Asami’s shoulder and began planting light kisses on her neck, and she could feel Asami relax against her touch. The latter pushed Korra onto the sofa, then positioned herself on top of her, and their bodies fell into sync.

 

“What time is it?”

“What?”

“Korra, the time.”

Korra opened her eyes blearily, sun shining in through the windows. She grimaced; they’d forgotten to shut the blinds. She hoped no interested passersby had seen in last night…

She disentangled herself from the mess of blankets and legs she and her girlfriend had become during the night and squinted at the clock. “Like, 8:30. What time’s the appointment?”

“Eleven thirty,” Asami replied, pulling her hair away from her face. “We should get ready. I brought clothes and makeup and everything. Thought I might be staying the night.”

Korra giggled, then went over to pour herself and Asami cereal. “I had the weirdest dream…”

“What was it about?” Asami asked, grinning.  She stood across the counter from Korra, chin in her hands, just looking her up and down.

“Caterpillars,” Korra said pensively, trying to remember more of the dream. She looked up at Asami, who was laughing. “What?”

“I thought you’d say, ‘You,’ or something,” she giggled.

“I’m not going to lie about my dreams,” Korra said indignantly. Asami walked over, smiling, and slid her hands around Korra’s hips.

“I should shower, ‘Sami…”

“I should too, coincidentally.”

 

“Korra, I need to wash my hair—” Asami’s complaint was drowned out as she let out a moan; Korra’s fingers had travelled when she turned her back in the shower, and were massaging her clit. “God, _Korra.”_

“What’s that, babe?” Korra hissed, running her free hand along Asami’s hips.

“I— _Fuck.”_ Asami arched her back as Korra’s fingers entered her body. She held the wall for support, feeling the hot water from the shower spilling over them, amplifying their sighs and heavy breaths.

After several minutes (or could’ve been a few years), Asami found herself pressed against the shower wall, Korra’s hips grinding into her own. Korra felt Asami’s wet hands caressing up and down and around her body, and she just wanted to be closer, closer.

“We’re going to be—” gasp “—late for— _shit_ —our meeting— _God_ —”

“We’ll be fine,” Korra breathed. “I’m almost—Asami—”

They came together with mingling moans, leaning against one another for support.

“I do actually need to wash my hair,” Asami murmured against Korra’s neck, her fingers drawing circles along Korra’s shoulder blades.

“If you say so, dearest.”

 

Korra stood at her kitchen counter, dressed, watching Asami get all her things together. They were both dressed professionally, Asami in a (hot) pencil skirt and blazer, and Korra in a blue blouse and slacks.

“You know, you don’t need to get all your stuff now, we can come back here afterwards and grab it,” Korra said, leaning against the counter.

Asami shrugged. “I just want to be ready, you know?”

Korra walked over to her, recognizing her anxiousness. She took her by both hands, looking into those iridescent green eyes. “This will all go fine,” she said bracingly. “We know everything we’re going to say, and we’re prepared for anything.”

“I know, you’re right,” Asami sighed. “I’m just really…nervous. I’ve never done this kind of thing before.”

“What do you mean? You defend yourself and your plans against businesses every day.”

“That’s it,” Asami said, pulling her hands away to fix her hair. “I defend my plans, not _myself._ I mean, this affects me directly, but he doesn’t know that, you know?”

“I understand.”

“I mean, you, the activist, you’ve done this all before. Like, this is just a day in the life—”

“It isn’t,” Korra said, not harshly, “I persuade small people. Nobody like the governor. But we’re _ready,_ Asami. And no matter what happens, hey, look at me.”

Asami looked up from her bag, slowly dropping her hands to her sides.

“No matter what, I love you more than the world.” Korra looked at Asami, simultaneously worried and determined.

“I know,” Asami said softly. “I love you too, no matter what.”

 

In the elevator on the way to the 16th floor of the State Building, Korra’s fingers tapped a soft rhythm against Asami’s, which were clasped tightly around a briefcase. Several other people were riding up in the elevator, but none had faces as bloodless as Korra’s and Asami’s as the bright green number counted…13…14…15…

“Let’s go,” Asami whispered, and Korra followed her out into a hallway of doors. “What time is it?”

Korra checked at her watch. “11:25.” She noticed her hand was shaking. _Stop,_ she told it. _There’s nothing to be afraid of._

Steeling herself, Asami twisted the handle to enter the receptionist’s area of the governor’s office.

“Good morning,” Asami chirped, closely followed by another greeting from Korra.

“Ms. Sato,” the receptionist smiled. “The governor will be ready for you soon.”

Korra and Asami retreated to two of the waiting chairs, and Korra was suddenly reminded of a very similar situation she was placed in in middle school. She’d been sent to the principal’s office for speaking out against what the teacher had said, and there she’d sat, waiting, waiting…

“Governor Thompson will see you now.”

“Thank you very much,” Asami said as she led Korra into a door to the left of the desk.

Korra swallowed hard. Everything she’d ever worked for—the time was now.

“Good morning, Ms. Sato. Ms. Imiq.” A friendly-looking man of about fifty sat behind a desk in a large office adorned with pictures, and greeted them with a smile.

“Good morning, Governor,” Korra and Asami said in unison. They could hear the tension in each other’s voices.

“It’s been a long time, Ms. Sato.”

Asami nodded. “How are you?”

“I’m very well, thank you.” The governor turned his attention to Korra, who smiled. “I have not yet had the pleasure to meet you.”

“Korra Imiq, Governor.”

He extended his hand, which Korra shook firmly. “Well,” he said, bracing his hands against the desk, “we all know why we’re here. Let’s start off with some basics: Mr. Sato wants this bill passed next week, and he is prepared to fund its passing.”

“Correct,” Asami said, “which is why we’ve come. We’ve compiled a document outlining legal, ethical, and constitutional problems with the bill—”

“I can’t veto it, Asami,” he interrupted.

“I’m—what?”

“It’s going to pass.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm aware that some political views are probably not accurate, as well as some historical facts, but this is probably closer to historical fiction. But thank you for reading and please tell me what you think!! :)


	6. Lost and Found

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Korra and Asami finally meet with the Governor, and some new friends join the picture.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! I'm really sorry I haven't updated in like a thousand years, I've been really busy with school stuff. But here it is, the next chapter. Let me know what you think!

“It can’t pass,” Korra said, staring at the governor. “It’s literally unconstitutional.”

Thompson shook his head. “It has the votes to be overridden.”

“Why are we here, then?” Asami asked. Even in her cold tone, Korra noticed, she managed to be professional. Much practice.

“Formality, whatever you please,” Thompson shrugged.

“Excuse me, Governor,” Korra said with poorly restrained hostility, “but all the money in the world won’t stop the people from choosing what is _right.”_

Thompson laughed despite the seriousness of the situation. “You obviously have no understanding of politics. You, on the other hand,” he nodded to Asami, “I thought you would be more sensible when it came to something like this.”

“I _thought_ you were already on our side.”

Korra watched as Asami’s fist clenched against the portfolio she was holding. She closed her eyes for the briefest moment, then spoke: “Governor, I cannot stand by and watch as—“

The governor stood up angrily. “I don’t want to hear any more about this. These matters are…obscene. Please excuse me.”

_“Obscene?!”_ Korra shouted. “These are lives—“

“It doesn’t matter to me what you do in the bedroom, Ms. Imiq,” Thompson shot as he passed Korra on the way to the door. As the two women exited, he spat, “Just keep it _out_ of my sight.”

 

Korra and Asami didn’t speak the entire way to the elevator. They simply walked. They said goodbye and thank-you to the secretary, they nodded and smiled like they knew what they were doing. Each reached for the down button on the elevator wall, and their fingers brushed. The eye contact was quick, and they withdrew.

Finally, they were alone in the elevator.

“I’m so sorry, Korra—”

“Don’t, Asami. It’s…okay.”

They both knew it wasn’t.

Korra sighed. “We…thought he was going to be on our side.”

“Yeah.” Asami coughed, but Korra could still hear her voice breaking.

After a moment, Korra said quietly, “We could go back to my place if you want.”

Asami nodded, and Korra knew it was because she did not trust herself to speak.

 

As soon as Korra got into the car, she turned on the radio as loud as it would go; she didn’t even care what station it was. As she drove, she let the music wash over her. Someone had taught her a long time ago that you can clear your mind of whatever you’re going through if you just anticipate the lyrics, pay attention to the rhythm, the meter, each voice part separately, and you can wipe your mind clean.

In the lull between blasting rock songs, Korra heard Asami say slowly and quietly, “I don’t understand how you can have so much hatred inside of you…for someone you don’t know.”

“I don’t know, ‘Sami,” Korra whispered. She wasn’t sure if Asami had even heard, but she felt it in the warm hand that caressed her wrist a moment later. She grasped the fingers with the hand not on the wheel, and tears momentarily obscured her vision. “Damn,” she hissed, wiping them away so she could drive.

As the two entered the small apartment, they simultaneously dropped their things and, hand in hand, headed for the sofa. Together they lay for minutes? Hours?

 

Korra jolted awake to find herself lying face to face with Asami on her old, tan couch. Their hands were intertwined, and Asami’s eyes were closed. Even in sleep, however, Asami’s fingers clutched her own like a lifeline. Korra looked around, moving just her eyes. The apartment was dark; it must have been at least 7 o’clock. She twirled a piece of Asami’s hair in her free hand while she thought about what to do.

_We should get dinner,_ Korra thought, sighing.

Trying her hardest not to wake Asami, Korra climbed off the sofa. On the way to the phone, she picked up a take-out menu from a Chinese place a few blocks away. She ordered what they usually get, then grabbed her coat and headed out.

Halfway down the steps of her building, Korra realized she hadn’t taken off her business clothes from the meeting in the morning. She was sure her blouse was wrinkled, but she didn’t really care. She was just hungry.

It turned out to be later than she thought; more men than usual lined the streets, calling at her. On a regular night she might flip them off or give them a speech about treating women with respect, but tonight, Korra just walked.

A moment after she entered the restaurant and sat down at the counter, what seemed to be a bear grabbed her from behind. “Korra!” it shouted.

“Bolin?”

“How ya doing?” Bolin let go and swiveled the chair around to face him.

“I’m, uh, okay, thanks, Bolin,” Korra said with none of her usual pep. “How’re you?”

“Prettttty good, pretty good.” Bolin rested his elbows on the counter, picking at the string of his apron. “Tonight’s been pretty slow, honestly.”

“Looks like it,” Korra remarked. The restaurant was nearly empty, save for a few old men in the corner. “What time is it?”

“Almost ten. So whatcha doing here? Wanting some of that _Bolin special?”_

Korra laughed. “I’m just picking up for me and ‘Sami.”

“Riiiiight,” Bolin said in that obnoxious (but lovable) knowing manner. He crossed to the other side of the counter where they kept pickup orders. “Mako’s been talkin’ about how he wants to see you and stuff, so you and Asami should come around sometime.”

“Really? _Mako_ wants to see _me_ and _Asami?”_

Bolin put up a hand. “I found it hard to believe too. But apparently, realizing his dreams of becoming a tough guy cop has turned him into a _new man.”_

Korra chuckled. “Okay, we’ll come by soon.”

She tried not to think about the fact that in a few weeks’ time, she could be denied entrance from her favorite restaurant.

“So where is the famous Asami Sato?” Bolin asked, snapping Korra’s attention back.

“Oh, she’s asleep at my place,” Korra said absently. “We had a, uh, bit of a rough day.”

_“Tell me about it,”_ Bolin said, launching into a speech about half-cooked noodles.

Korra wasn’t really listening; she nodded when Bolin took a breath, and said, “He said _what?”_ at appropriate moments. But her mind was elsewhere.

For a second, she tuned back in: “—and then, if you’ll believe it, he goes, he said, ‘I’m not leaving this establishment until my noodles are _cooked_ and _juicy!!”_ Like c’mon, who has _juicy noodles_? So I said, ‘Look, I can cook the noodles, but—‘”

“I should go, Bolin,” Korra interrupted. “’Sami’s gonna be wondering where I am.”

“Ok-okay,” Bolin called as Korra dropped some money on the table and left with her food. “Hey, come over some time. Paboo’s really missing you!”

“Will do, Bolin.”

 

“Hey, where were you?” Asami asked, rubbing at her eyes as Korra walked in.

“I just went to pick up some food. You want some?”

”Yeah, that would be…great. Thanks, Korra.”

They sat down at the coffee table, opening the small white cardboard containers. After a few minutes, Korra said quickly, “I’m really sorry, Asami. If it weren’t for me, we wouldn’t be in this mess at all—”

“You’re right, we wouldn’t,” Asami said harshly. _“You_ dragged me into all this.”

Korra’s eyes filled with tears. “’Sami…I’m so sorry.”

Asami bit her lip and batted at her own eyes. “I know. I know, I don’t know why…why I said that. I’m sorry. I should go.”

“’Sami, wait.” Korra reached for her wrist to pull her back, but Asami swatted her hand away.

“I just need to _go.”_

Korra just watched as Asami threw the remainder of her belongings into a bag and hurried out the door.

Korra slammed her head down on the coffee table, and the utensils rattled from the force. Taking a deep breath, she seized her coat again and left the apartment.

 

“Korra! You’re back!”

She grinned in spite of herself. “Hey, Bolin.”

“I’ll get Mako, he just came around and I was like ‘Mako!! Korra was just here and you missed her!!!’ and he was like “Oh, I’ll catch her next time’ and I was like ‘She said she’d come around again’ but you’re _here again!_ Mako!!!!”

“What? Is something wrong?” A tall, dark haired guy a few years older than Korra came skidding out from the kitchen. “Korra!” he exclaimed. “Great to see you.”

Korra smiled. “Hey, Mako.”

Mako looked concerned suddenly. He was always so much better at reading Korra than Bolin. “What’s up?”

“’Sami and I…sort of had a fight, I guess. Maybe.”

“What happened?”

“She said everything was my fault, basically, and left.”

Mako nodded, biting his lip. “People…people deal with things in different ways, I guess.”

“That’s true.” Korra put her head in her hands. “I just wish I knew the right thing to say.”

“She’ll come around,” Mako said, clasping one of Korra’s hands.

“She did!!” Bolin shouted. “She came around!”

Korra turned to face the door, and there, sure enough, was Asami. Still wearing her blazer and skirt, she chuckled and waved.

Korra ran to the door and hugged Asami, who appeared startled, but wrapped her own arms around Korra’s waist.

“Hey,” she whispered.

“Hi,” Korra responded. “You found me.”

Korra looked up at a small sign above the door she'd never noticed before. It read, 'Soulmates will always find each other, for they have the same hiding place.'


End file.
